6 dead after small plane crashes, catches fire in Southern California, officials say

Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
Updated ·1 min read

A plane carrying six people crashed and burst into flames in a Southern California field early Saturday morning, killing everyone on board, officials said.

The plane was a Cessna C550 business jet, the Federal Aviation Administration said. It crashed Saturday near the French Valley Airport in Murrieta, California, a city about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego.

"The airplane crashed short of French Valley Airport during its second approach around 4:15 a.m. PDT," Jennifer Gabris, a National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an emailed message. The flight had departed from Las Vegas.

The plane and about an acre of vegetation burned and the fire was put out after over an hour, the Riverside County Fire Department said on Twitter. All six on board were pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff's office said. Officials didn't release their identities.

Charred remains of a Cessna lie near the landing approach at French Valley Airport, in Murrieta, Calif., Saturday, July 8, 2023. The Los Angeles Times reports that, according to CalFire, six people died in the crash.
Charred remains of a Cessna lie near the landing approach at French Valley Airport, in Murrieta, Calif., Saturday, July 8, 2023. The Los Angeles Times reports that, according to CalFire, six people died in the crash.

Officials didn't say what they thought caused the crash on Saturday, but said the FAA and the NTSB were both investigating.

It's the second deadly crash near that airport in a week. A 39-year-old man was killed and three children were injured on the Fourth of July when a small plane the man was piloting crashed, officials said.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aviation accident at French Valley Airport: 6 dead in plane crash